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Sleep in Children With Developmental Disabilities: How Can Videosomnography Inform Intervention?

Jiwon Lee1, A J Schwichtenberg2, Regena Spratling3

  • 1Jiwon Lee, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA.

Journal of Pediatric Health Care : Official Publication of National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates & Practitioners
|January 5, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Videosomnography offers new insights into sleep problems in children with developmental disabilities (DD). This method reveals specific sleep behaviors and environmental factors, guiding better intervention strategies for improved sleep.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Developmental Disabilities Research
  • Behavioral Sleep Science

Background:

  • Families with children with developmental disabilities (DD) frequently utilize sleep problem treatments.
  • Current interventions often rely solely on parent reports, which may contain biases or omit crucial details.
  • There is a need for objective methods to inform sleep intervention targets in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the utility of videosomnography, a video-based assessment, for identifying sleep intervention targets in children with DD.
  • To gain objective insights into sleep-wake behaviors, caregiver interactions, and environmental factors affecting sleep in children with DD.
  • To compare video-observed data with traditional parent-report methods for sleep assessment.

Main Methods:

  • A qualitative descriptive study involving nine school-aged children with DD.
  • Children were observed for seven consecutive nights using videosomnography.
  • Thematic analysis was applied to video data to identify key themes and potential intervention targets.

Main Results:

  • Theme 1: Children exhibited increased activity and wakefulness during designated sleep periods.
  • Theme 2: Mothers were involved in various caregiving and nighttime activities, including co-sleeping.
  • Theme 3: Observed sleep hygiene and environments did not meet established clinical recommendations.

Conclusions:

  • Videosomnography provides valuable, objective data on sleep behaviors, nighttime parenting practices, and environmental influences.
  • The findings highlight specific areas for targeted interventions to improve sleep quality in children with DD.
  • This method offers a more comprehensive understanding compared to relying solely on parent reports.
Abstract

Keywords:
Sleepchildrendevelopmental disabilitiesvideosomnography

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